Shopify, Dropshipping and Blogging

By PAUL J. ABRAMAH

Want To Become An Expert In E-Commerce Business? Learn How To Set Up Your E-Shop And Start Earning Now!

Want to start your own business? Don't have means to open a classic store? Shopify and dropshipping are the answer to all your problems. This way, you'll get to earn tons of money, like the owners of popular stores, but without investing too much upfront.

 

Dropshipping is an order fulfillment method that does not require a business to keep goods in stock. Instead, the store sells the product and passes on the sales order to a third-party supplier, who afterward ships the order to the customer.

Dropshipping is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs who are just starting out because it is not demanding as much as the traditional retail model. You don't need to have a physical location for the store, no need for paying overhead, and absolutely no need for stocking products.

And, to make things even better, you can have another passive income, besides the one from your Shopify store. If you ever considered to start blogging, now is the perfect time! Running a blog does require some effort, but, in return, you can have people pay you to advertise on your blog. You can find more info about online advertising in the book!

This guide can help you start your business today or as soon as you read it. You just need some basic knowledge and the right tools and resources, all of which you can find in this book.

Here's what you will learn from this book:

• How to grow your e-commerce business in no time from your home
• Step-by-step guide on how to build a web store that will make customers purchase your products
• Steps for developing a recognizable brand and standing out from the crowd
• Best ways to find adequate suppliers that will make all of your customers happy
• The most common mistakes to avoid while building your business
• Expert tips for using blogs to increase your income even more

Dropshipping allows you to start a business with minimal funds, and you can build your store right from your laptop.

 

This guide will teach you all the tips and tricks that will help you drive sales, become your own boss, and make your business thrive!

Check out this guide and let it help you become the owner of a thriving business in no time!

• Language: English
• Publisher: gp1963
• Release date: Feb 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393540663

Book preview

SHOPIFY, DROPSHIPPING AND BLOGGING

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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS FOR GROWING YOUR E-COMMERCE FROM YOUR HOME BASE, BUILDING YOUR WEB STORE STEP BY STEP, AND INCREASING YOUR PASSIVE INCOME WITH YOUR BLOG.

PAUL J. ABRAMAH

Table Of Contents

SHOPIFY INTRODUCTION.................................5

CAPITOLO 1 WHAT IS SHOPIFY AND HOW DOES IT WORK?......7

CAPITOLO 2 DEVELOP A BRAND...........................12

CAPITOLO 3 PRODUCT SOURCING.........................15

CAPITOLO 4 CHOOSING A PRODUCT CATEGORY.............21

CAPITOLO 5 SETTING UP YOUR SHOPIFY STORE.............25

CAPITOLO 6 HOW TO DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR SHOPIFY SITE?.32

CAPITOLO 7 PLATFORMS FOR BUILDING YOUR STORE........40

CAPITOLO 8 CREATE YOUR ONLINE EMPIRE AND SUCCEED IN ECOMMERCE BUSINESS WITH SHOPIFY......46

CAPITOLO 9 EXTENSIVE TEMPLATE OPTIONS................52

CAPITOLO 10 RISKS INVOLVED AND MAJOR PITFALLS TO BE AVOIDED......60

CAPITOLO 11 SHIPPING METHODS.........................66

CAPITOLO 12 HOW TO OPERATE YOUR BUSINESS?...........70

CAPITOLO 13 MARKETING...............................77

CAPITOLO 14 MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN STARTING THE BUSINESS......86

CAPITOLO 15 EXPANDING YOUR PRODUCT LINE.............92

CAPITOLO 16 SHOPIFY TIPS AND TRICKS...................95

CAPITOLO 17 BUILD A MAILING LIST.......................100

CAPITOLO 18 SIMPLICITY AT ITS BEST.....................103

SHOPIFY CONCLUSION.................................109

DROPSHIPPING INTRODUCTION..........................111

CAPITOLO 19 PROS & CONS OF DROPSHIPPING.............113

CAPITOLO 20 MARKET RESEARCH AND HOW TO FIND A NICHE.120

CAPITOLO 21 THE DROPSHIPPING PROCESS...............130

CAPITOLO 22 SETTING UP YOUR DROPSHIPPING BUSINESS...136

CAPITOLO 23 FIND THE RIGHT PRODUCTS.................144

CAPITOLO 24 WORKING WITH SUPPLIERS..................151

CAPITOLO 25 HOW TO DROPSHIP WITH SHOPIFY............161

CAPITOLO 26 HOW TO MARKET YOUR PRODUCTS...........167

CAPITOLO 27 TOOLS THAT YOU NEED FOR YOUR STORE.....174

CAPITOLO 28 CREATE YOUR BRAND AND BUILD YOUR AUDIENCE183

CAPITOLO 29 MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN STARTING THE BUSINESS......186

CAPITOLO 30 HOW TO SCALE YOUR DROPSHIPPING BUSINESS 192

CAPITOLO 31 GROWING YOUR BUSINESS TO $10,000+ / MONTH 200

CAPITOLO 32 SOCIAL MEDIA APPROACH IN DROPSHIPPING...208

DROPSHIPPING CONCLUSION...........................213

BLOGGING INTRODUCTION.............................215

CAPITOLO 33 GETTING STARTED.........................217

CAPITOLO 34 HOW TO CREATE A BLOG?...................225

CAPITOLO 35 INVESTING IN YOUR SELF...................232

CAPITOLO 36 CREATING AND CULTIVATING A BLOG COMMUNITY239

CAPITOLO 37 THE MOST EFFECTIVE METHOD TO MAKE CONTENT CREATION PLANS OR STRATEGIES......248

CAPITOLO 38 WORKING WITH BRANDS....................257

CAPITOLO 39 USE SOCIAL MEDIA.........................266

CAPITOLO 40 OPTIMIZE EACH POST.......................274

CAPITOLO 41 CREATING LEAD MAGNET IDEAS..............281

CAPITOLO 42 WHY YOU SHOULD USE ADS ON YOUR BLOG....288

CAPITOLO 43 : TAGS, RANKING, AND SEO..................294

CAPITOLO 44 MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT BLOGGING..........303

BLOGGING CONCLUSION...............................308

Shopify Introduction

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hen it comes to starting a successful online business the online sales and marketing platform that you use can be either the flagship of your entire launch or the anchor

around your new online store’s neck. The right choice for many individuals and the one you are likely going to be the most satisfied with in the long run is Shopify.com. For nearly 2 decades Shopify has been providing ecommerce solutions for small business who want to take their business online.

When it comes to creating an online home for your store, there are many web building platforms and online payment solutions to choose from, Shopify takes all the hassle out of mixing and matching and puts all the tools for getting your online business up and running successfully in one place.

Shopify is more than a simple marketplace where goods are exchanged, it is also what is known as a payment gateway which means it handles the transaction verification process required to ensure that those who pay for your goods via debit or credit card actually have the funds to complete the purchase. It also means they are responsible for the security concerns related to these transactions which can be both complicated and expensive for merchants to pursue themselves.

When it comes to deciding how you want to use Shopify, the first thing you will need to determine is if you want to create your own site and then link it Shopify or if you are more interested in getting started as quickly, easily and cheaply as possible by using the store that Shopify will provide at all levels of service. While the option to create your own site will certainly cost more, it will give you complete control

over the customer experience which is an important consideration if the niche you are considering working with is extremely competitive.

Starting your own online store is a major decision whether you are interested in building an active or a passive income stream and purchasing this book is a great step in the right direction. It is also the easiest step as setting up your own successful online store will require plenty of hard work and determination but that’s not to say it won’t be fun!

It is more than doable and the following chapters will discuss just how you can go about making your dream of an online store a reality. Inside you will learn all about the specifics of the Shopify platform and what makes it the best choice when it comes to starting your online store. You will also find tips related to choosing the products to sell that are right for you, getting your site up and running and marketing it properly. Finally, it ends with a look to the future and how you will know when to expand your product line.

Capitolo 1 What is Shopify and How Does it Work?

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o doubt you have already heard of Shopify. It is something of a household name now. Unless you have already delved deeply into it then the chances are you won’t know what it

can do for you and how it works so that’s what I’m going to start by telling you before we look at the main advantages and disadvantages of using it.

So, what is it?

Shopify is a way of setting up a store online, providing you with an easy platform to sell just about anything that you want. It is incredibly popular with entrepreneurs and businesses who want an easy way to create an e-commerce shop that can operate alone or as part of an existing company.

One thing that sets Shopify aside from the competition is the fact that it is incredibly versatile. You don’t need to have any experience in writing code. If all you want is a simple store to get up and running pretty much straight away, Shopify has a range of templates that you can choose from. These provide the skeleton of the store and can be customized so you can put your own unique stamp on your store. However, Shopify is not limited to small businesses or internet entrepreneurs; it is scalable, customizable and even multi-lingual, making it the perfect platform for any business even the biggest of brands like Red Bull, KKW Beauty, WaterAid and Budweiser – all using Shopify as their online store platform.

How does it Work?

Shopify is dead simple to use, one of the biggest reasons why it is so popular. It is a web-based software so there is no need to install it first. The platform is fully hosted by Shopify and this brings several advantages, including full customer support. There isn’t any need to go through complex installations, worry about upgrades that might mess things up and you don’t need to worry about any web servers – it’s all done for you. And Shopify is compatible with all the major operating systems.

Setting up a store is simple, as you will see later. All you need to do is sign up for your free 14-day trial on Shopify and give it a go. Once the free trial period is up you need to decide whether to continue or not and which plan to choose. We'll be looking at those plans later on, but there are several to choose from, each with its own unique features and price. Then, you just need to decide on what to sell and add your payment details to pay for your subscription.

That’s all there is to it. You can register a domain name so your Shopify store has the name you want it to have and if you already have a website or a domain name, simply integrate it all with Shopify - I’ll show you how later.

Shopify Advantages

Shopify has several decent advantages and one of the biggest is that it offers more than 100 different themes for you to choose  from for your storefront. This allows you to choose a professional look that  also looks good on a mobile device. For those that have used WordPress, the approach to Shopify themes is quite similar – a store holds the themes and you can browse to choose what you want. Some are free, some require payment and you can also choose from themes set up for specific industries. These themes have been professionally designed and Shopify ensures that they consistent and compatible with its own software before they allow them into the store.

Another great advantage is the flexibility that Shopify offers, allowing to use the Shopify app store to add different functionalities. There are over 12oo apps to choose from and we’ll be looking at some of them in a later. Again, some of them are free while some are paid and you can pick and choose the ones that help make your store easier to use and to automate certain aspects of it. There are social media apps, customer service, inventory management, accounting, even shipping apps, all available to add to your store to help run your new business. All of this makes Shopify more than a simple store; it is a complete business solution, providing assistance for the backend as well as the frontend. And if you worried about installing the apps, don’t be because Shopify will do the work for you.

If there is one thing designed to send people into a panic, it’s a glitch that causes their website to go down with no warning and leaving  them with no idea how to get it all back again. Shopify is robust but, to deal with any issues that arise and any problems you may have their next advantage is that they operate a 24/7 customer support service. They offer several different phone numbers for different areas; they have email support and online chat so your problems can be solved straight away. Time is money as any business owner knows and the minimum amount of fuss and maximum speed to get an issue resolved is crucial.

The Shopify software is in the cloud so you have a great deal more flexibility because any web browser can be used to run it. You can work wherever you want, whenever you want, as long as you have a connection to the internet.

Security is not an issue either; Shopify does it all for you, ensuring all transactions are completely secure so you can concentrate on selling your goods.

Lastly, there is a Shopify POS (point of sale) app for both Android and iOS that helps take care of in-person transactions. Using it means you can sell anywhere – at a market, a fair, in a popup window, anywhere you want. Plus, it offers the versatility of accepting multiple methods

of payment. The best of it is, the app fully syncs with your account so your orders can be monitored as can stock levels in real time, across all your points of sale – online, physical store, and so on.

Shopify Disadvantages

While Shopify has plenty of advantages, it also has a few disadvantages. Don’t be too surprised; nothing is perfect and nothing can possibly suit everyone so make sure you are aware of the downsides before you start.

Unless you make use of the Shopify payments system, you will need to pay a fee on each sale and that can be anywhere from 0.5% to 2%, depending on which plan you are signed up to. If you opt for the basic plan, the transaction fee is 2% of each sale; the Shopify Plan is 1% and the Advanced Plan is 0.5%. How much of a disadvantage this proves to be is down to your perspective. In terms of money, it is equal to between $0.50 and $2 for every $100 sale – that isn’t too bad and that money is used to pay for the payment management technology that Shopify uses. In simple terms, all you are doing is paying them to handle your transactions. Plus, Shopify doesn’t hide their fees; they are completely upfront and you will always know what the charges are going to be.

Not all the apps are free to use. While they can offer huge amounts of functionality, some of them do have a monthly cost attached to them and this can soon bump up your monthly expenditure. Take MailChimp, for example, a popular mail app that helps you to run a mail campaign. If you have less than 2000 email subscribers then Mailchimp is free, but any more and the costs are anywhere between

$10 and $200 per month. Another one, FreshBooks, is a great accounting app but it will set you back almost $32 a month.

As far as apps go, if you have a small business most of them are free. But, grow your business larger and you may have to start paying out for those apps. For someone like you who is going to be starting a

brand-new business, for now, you won't need to worry about that. And, if your business does grow, your revenue should grow with it and those all-important apps won't seem quite so expensive. You could try doing the accounting and marketing yourself to start with, but you will find that your attention will be on that and not on selling. You could also hire an external person to do for you, but that will definitely cost you more than the app would. Perhaps, in the long run, the best option is to bit the bullet and buy the app, saving yourself the time  that you could be using to focus on selling.

Many platforms make use of CSS or HTML coding, but Shopify doesn't. Instead, it uses something called Liquid so store customization means you need to know the language or you need to know someone who does. That can prove expensive so, to begin with, stick with the themes on offer and leave the customization for later down the line.

While Shopify is incredibly flexible, and it can be highly customized, some parts of it can’t unless you opt for the very expensive Shopify Plus plan so be aware of that from the start.

So, as you can see, most of the disadvantages revolve around costs and expense but, if you want a successful business, those are inevitable – you can’t have it all for nothing. If you had a physical store, for example, you would have overheads in rent and utilities, not to mention taxes, staff, inventory and so on. With Shopify, the monthly subscription you choose is akin to these costs but much cheaper.

Capitolo 2 Develop a brand

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n the world of online commerce, you are competing with millions of people for attention and sales. Both of these things are important in the online world. Without attention, you’re not going to be able to gain awareness of all of your products, and without sales, your business will end up in the red. So, what makes your product any better than a competitor’s? In a sea of people vying for a customer’s dollar, the only thing that truly sets people apart is their

brand.

A brand is a kind of identification that tells other people what your product is about. Brands are visual, conceptual and emotional in nature. They are designed to help people quickly understand what the product represents. Don’t get confused here; branding isn’t  about what a product does but rather about what a product is.

Think about one of the most successful brands in America, or probably even the world, Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola sells a soft drink, but when they market Coke, they focus on things like togetherness, family, fun times and friendship. The beverage might be a soda, but the brand represents good times. And the world responded to that branding very positively.

Your goal should be to develop a good brand for your online store  and product, so that people are able to associate your product with good values that are attractive to them. While it might seem like talking about the virtue of your product is important, that’s really just advertising. Branding is about far more than just talking about your products. Rather, branding talks about what your company is about. People love to buy products, but if you can get them interested in your brand, then you will have a customer for life.

So, how can you get a customer interested in your brand? Well, it starts with knowing the attributes of a good brand. Let’s take a look at each component of a brand, so you can learn how to appeal to customers.

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Mission:

The first thing to remember about your brand is that it represents the whole picture of what your company is about. People need to have a perfect understanding of what your mission is before they are willing to get behind it. Of course, you’re probably in business in order to make money; that’s a given. But no one is going to support you if you say your mission is to get as rich as possible.

A mission is something that speaks to people’s hearts and minds. It captures the imagination and excites them. A mission isn’t about you, but it is about how your company is going to have an effect on the world at large. Don’t underestimate how powerful a message can be to consumers. In the noisy world of advertisements, your mission can help set you apart.

Do you see how that is something you can nod your head to? Their mission has nothing to do with Warby Parker and everything to do with the world around them. They talk about a good price, a rebelliousness against the system and a desire to lead businesses in being more socially conscious. This mission is big, and when a customer learns about this desire, the company is immediately set apart from the rest of the pack. There are many places to get eyeglasses online, but there is only one Warby Parker.

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Visual Identity:

Your brand needs to have some kind of visual identity attached to it. This identity includes colors, shapes or a logo. Most companies stick with one or two primary colors to put on all of their products,

allowing people to readily recognize that a product is associated with a specific company. In addition to specific colors, you will also need a logo. You should probably hire a graphic designer or a freelancer to design a nice logo for your company if you don’t already have one.

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Uniqueness:

You also need to focus on highlighting what makes your product and your company different from all of the other products that are out there on the market. Remember, there is a vast ocean of products in the world, and they are all vying for your customer’s attention. So, in order to brand yourself effectively, you need to create a strong image of being unique. Even if you are selling something that everyone else is selling, try to highlight what makes it unique to you.

Uniqueness isn’t necessarily about quality, but it’s about how you present your product to others. Think about medicine, for example. Most medications use the same ingredients, but they use branding to create a picture of uniqueness. They target a specific type of pain, or they have great customer service. These things are meant to help customers distinguish pain medication to be separate from the generic stuff sold in stores.

Presentation, quality and experience are the three major areas where you can work to create a great brand. You can focus on either or all of these areas, showing potential customers what makes you unique. Remember, you must always be able to answer the question: Why should I buy from you specifically? Work on your brand until you can come up with a sufficient answer that will motivate people to click the buy button.

Capitolo 3 Product Sourcing

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n the establishing of an online store, most people start out with  so much zeal and zest. They can identify niche markets that they can take advantage of and seemingly have everything set up.

Everything except identifying where to source for products. This has often proved to be a big challenge for people setting up businesses whether they would be exploring the option of getting their own product manufactured or getting suppliers of the products from whom they will make wholesale purchases from. Identifying these people has not been considered the easiest job one is able to do. Let us then consider the fundamentals when it comes to identifying a supplier that is reliable and credible for your business.

We shall be considering different suppliers and these would be the people from whom we shall receive our inventory from and this may range from manufacturers to wholesale traders and even distributors.

The first step to successfully identify an appropriate supplier would be deciding the type of supplier you would want for your type of business. These include:

●  Manufacturer: he is responsible for the production of your idea

●  Supplier: This can be either a manufacturer, a wholesale trader or even a distributor of already prevailing products that you are interested in.

●  Drop shipper: this might be only to supply goods and meet the orders of brands that are already prevailing.

Domestic suppliers against Overseas suppliers

For anyone getting into e-commerce business, they need to reach the decision of what type of suppliers they would want. One can take the

option of keeping their product locally produced or they can take the other option of having their products sourced overseas. This could mean any territory overseas but it often alludes to countries in Asia like China and India.

Often, outsourcing supplies from overseas usually has a less financial implication on the business on every unit of product produced, however, it does require a high capital requirement initially. These two options have both their pros and cons which we shall explore.

Domestic Sourcing Pros

●  High quality of manufacturing and better labor standards

●  No language barrier

●  Appeal as a made in America product

●  Easy verification of the manufacturers

●  Shipping time is significantly reduced

●  Better intellectual property right protection

●  Increased security in payments and recourse

Cons

●  Increased cost of manufacturing

●  Little product choice

Overseas Sourcing Pros

●  Significantly reduced cost of manufacturing

●  A wide variety of manufacturers

●  Services such as those of Alibaba have eased the navigation of suppliers

Cons

●  A perception of lower quality from the client base

●  Often mired with cases of low labor and manufacturing standards.

●  Miniature protection on intellectual property

●  Language barrier

●  Increased difficulty in the verification of manufacturers

●  Increased shipping duration

●  Differences in culture as ingrained in the business practices

●  Dealing with clearance at customs during importation

●  Reduced security of payment and recourse

So now that you are more informed of your choices and some of the advantages and disadvantages of either option on the shipping, it would then be important to consider what your options are and where you can start making your inquiries for suppliers. In the wake of the information age and digital era, the internet would be the ideal place to start your search from. However, to help narrow the search, one can explore the following options first:

Directories

This can prove to be one of the ideal sources for suppliers. There are tons of free online directories that have explicitly profiled thousands  of potential suppliers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. These are some options of the most popular ones:

Domestic Directories (Online)

●  Kompass

●  Makers Row

●  ThomasNet

●  MFG

Overseas directories (Online)

●  AliExpress

●  Bambify

●  Alibaba

●  IndiaMart

●  Oberlo

Google

In today’s world, it is only expected that we could only go onto google and search for anything and whatever it is we were looking for would appear high in the results. However, most suppliers have not updated their websites or optimized them enough with the advancement of Google’s algorithms that these pages would probably not be found in the top search results as we are accustomed to. Because of this, one might be required to go through many of the results’ pages to find the suppliers. Also, one should put the effort into searching using different terms that would help narrow the search and give better outcomes.

Local Library

Many libraries have subscribed to online directories of businesses and manufacturers that would otherwise be difficult to gain access to as an individual. These include those such as the Scotts Online Business directory. In this directory, you would find many profiles of potential suppliers located in North America. One can get into contact with these libraries to find out if they are in possession of these directories.

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Referrals

With the invention of social media, one can ask a great list of friends and family to recommend reliable suppliers at the click of a button. It is very likely to find people who are already involved in the space and therefore have contacts and networks either directly to the suppliers or to people who do. Use the power of referrals and social media to make your search easier.

Other methods

One can also find suppliers by searching for their products using their NAICS codes. The NAICS is the North American Industry Classification System which has assigned every product in every industry a code. Some organizations that deal in manufacturing and supplies list their products using these codes which exponentially makes it easier to identify these goods.

Request for a quotation

The way you approach a supplier and consequently find out their rates might seem a trivial task, however, it is anything but. One should take time to organize their thoughts and inquiries to suppliers which would subsequently better the chances of you getting a response from them and furthermore, one with correct and updated information. Here is a list of things that you might need to consider in your inquiry:

●  Do they have a minimum order quantity and if yes, what is it? This is to help you decide if their MOQ is affordable and manageable for you.

●  What is the pricing on their sample? It is important to get samples first before putting in a full order, therefore, ask about how they charge for these samples. You may be fortunate enough to find suppliers who would send you these samples at no cost.

●  What is the pricing on their production? This question is vital as it will determine the pricing on your goods. This would also make it known to you if you will be able to get discounts on production of large volume.

●  What is their average turnaround time? This will enable you to know how to plan for your business and when you can meet the demands and orders from your business.

●  What are their payment terms? Many suppliers tend to request

for full payments on their orders. This will help you know how to plan

for the capital requirements. Also, one inquires if they offer payment plans for future